The Cub & the Cougar

Asides

As the start of another New York City Summer fans out it sun-kissed feathers, Ivanka bids farewell to our glittering city for a new position in LA. How can Faye and I fill our bougie void (as we sullenly asked ourselves over a farewell picnic)? What if I want to get dinner at the latest French resto and reminisce about Paris with my favorite foodie? We’ll always be uptown betches at heart, but you’re not actually going to be uptown? Clearly I’m confused. And in denial.

However sad I am over the fact that our love affair will now need to be long distance, all I can think about is the exciting nature of her move. Being that I surround myself with overachievers and power betches, it’s no shock that great opportunities are ripe to entice friends away from their NYC trajectories. I believe our generation lives in a dynamic time full of prospects and high-reward risks; when being in the right place at the right time may mean making the decision to move across the country, or perhaps further across the globe.

Though as much as the bold embrace change, change is scary. Will we grow in a different direction from those we’ve already established our lives with? I think often, we’re afraid of what change will bring, and how as a result, we ourselves will too evolve.

But can’t that be the wonderful aspect of uprooting ourselves? I’ve said it before but you grow the most when you’re off-balance. In these key periods in life, we’re compelled to be assertive and naturally are introspective on what we want to achieve and who we are. Also, I think that we can retain our meaningful ties if we commit to doing so. Yes we may not grow in the same place or a the same pace as others, but if we keep growing and move toward a similar goal, we can still meet and continue to connect between the parallel paths we pursue.

Some may balk at the instability of making a radical change to start afresh and rather choose to be safe. But isn’t it more exciting to commit to being dynamic and taking a chance? I mean don’t get CRAY and run away blindly into the abyss, but if the right opportunity presents itself, take that leap of faith.

So as Ivanka roots herself in LA’s eternally sun-soaked hills, she inspires me to push myself further in our NYC playground. Time will tell whether NYC is back in her cards, but one can never tell the future. Perhaps when she comes back I’ll have moved on. All I know is that our bougie-Paris-stained ties run deep and we surely will continue to achieve success even if now we’re making bi-coastal strides. I’ll hold down the fort in Manhattan for now lover.